Byung “BJay” Pak, the U.S. Attorney in Atlanta, resigned on Monday after previously indicating that he would not leave until Inauguration Day, reports Talking Points Memo. In an internal email announcing his departure, Pak cited “unforeseen circumstances” as the reason he was leaving. Pak was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate in 2017. It is not uncommon for U.S. Attorneys to step down before a new administration to clear the way for the incoming president to choose his own appointees. Other Trump-appointed U.S. Attorneys have left in recent days.
Trump has been on an unrelenting crusade to overturn the election results in Georgia and other states that went for Joe Biden. On Saturday, he asked Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” votes for him. In the call, Trump, referring to investigations into claims of voter fraud, referred to a “never-Trumper U.S. Attorney” in Georgia, but it was unclear whether Trump was referring to Pak. Before his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Pak, a Republican, served as a representative in Georgia’s General Assembly.